Blue Cheese

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Riesling gives the dressing a delicate flavor. Crumbled blue cheese and toasted walnuts are sharp-crunchy contrasts with appeal.

Gorgonzola cheese flavors this hearty main course. Serve with a chilled Beaujolais.

This dip is especially attractive served in a hollowed-out head of Castelfranco radicchio, a white radicchio with loose, pink-streaked leaves that readily open to form a bowl.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola Cheese)

Although chef Marjorie Knerr simply brushes the garlic-infused oil on this bread, we couldn't resist spreading some of the roasted garlic over it as well. The restaurant uses Stella brand Gorgonzola, available in supermarkets, for the sauce.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The layered salad was popular in the Midwest throughout the seventies. We've updated it for today's speedy lifestyles and lightened-up diets. Round out the meal with a basket of corn bread, and mugs of tomato soup. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Bonnie Wilkens Metully of Cincinnati, Ohio, writes: "As much as my husband and I love to go out to eat, it's just more fun, intimate, and cozy to cook and entertain at home. I've taught a lot of our friends just how easy it is to prepare restaurant-quality dishes themselves. Who taught me? My older sister, who's a professional chef. She showed me the importance of getting everything prepped beforehand and seeking out the freshest ingredients." This sophisticated appetizer is one of Bonnie's greatest party hits.

Tender biscuits that are rich and flavorful.

Uncork a bottle of hearty Chianti to go with the great Italian flavors in this new twist on a traditional tomato-sauced pizza.

You can serve this dish—a cheese and fruit course in one—in lieu of dessert. Half a pear with some greens also makes a nice first course or light brunch.